The Stars Align
by Kate360
Summary: What if things had ended differently that night on George's boat when Zoe came to visit after Tansy had left him?
1. Two Years in the Making

So, I'm not really sure how many reads Hart of Dixie gets on here, but I personally love the show, so if you like the show and enjoy my story, please let me know. Favorite, comment, message me, and please keep reading. Hope you all enjoy, and I'm always open to suggestions. This story starts during the season finale of season 2, when Zoe went to see George on his boat, but with a slightly different ending to the night...

* * *

"We've never even been on a real date before!" George yelled. Zoe could hardly hold eye contact anymore. "Zoe Hart, ever since you came to town, you've screwed up my love life time and time again. You had your opportunity. I gave you plenty of time, but of course, that wasn't enough for you, Zoe Hart, was it?"

"I know, I know. And I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I came here to apologize for everything. And I wanted to let you know that Wade, what you saw, that was nothing. I was upset, and I wasn't in my right mind."

George just sighed. "Do you think sorry is just going to fix everything, Zoe? Saying you weren't in your right mind isn't going to work on me. Sorry, but I've heard that one before."

"I don't think it's going to fix anything. I just…"

"Lately, it seems like you're so preoccupied with your own love life, you've disregarded everyone and everything else going on around you. You're not the only one with feelings around here!"

"I know, George. I wasn't even thinking when I came over the other night. I can't believe I put all of that on your chest. Your break up with Tansy was completely my fault, and I'm so sorry. I can talk to her. I'll find her and fix things for you."

"You only seem to want me when I'm totally and completely unavailable. Well do you want me now?"

Zoe finally made eye contact. George was red in the face and seemed a bit exasperated. "What?" she asked, in disbelief of what _he_ seemed to be asking _her_. It was like he had flipped from being angry to wanting to be with her with the snap of the fingers.

George paced back and forth on the boat, running his hand through his hair. He looked regretful that he'd said anything at all. He stopped after a moment and brought his eyes back to Zoe's. "I asked if you want me now. Huh? Now that I'm finally single, I've finally had a real relationship that I tried at, and it failed now thanks to you. So now that I'm available, do you want me?" George's voice was still slightly raised, but he was serious. Zoe could tell he wasn't asking out of anger anymore, but genuinely asking.

Zoe uttered that one little word that made the biggest difference, "Yes." Before she knew what was happening, George's lips were pressed against hers, his hands holding her face. It took her a moment to react, but when she realized what was happening was real, she kissed him back.

After a couple of minutes, the two finally broke apart, but not far. "George…" but beyond that, Zoe was at a loss of words. She was still taking in what was happening, taking deep breaths and trying to string a coherent sentence together. "George…I…what…I thought you were mad at me?"

George's hands dropped from Zoe's face down to her hands and held them tight. "Zoe, I practically fell in love with you the moment I saw you walking into town. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The way things have gone with us so far, are they ideal? No, not at all. But right now, I'm single, you're single, and I think maybe it's the stars finally aligning. You said it yourself, we do our own thing for a while, and when the time is right, it will happen. Before you showed up here, I was ready to completely tear into you. I was mad. You ruined something that was great for me, with someone I saw myself being with. But I've seen myself with you for longer. And I still do."

"I think you still did that a little, tear into me," Zoe said, holding up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

"Sorry about that. That's not the point. I was so ready to tell you off and ask to never see you again, but I think we owe it to ourselves to give this a shot. I want to be mad, I do. You've ruined the two most successful relationships I've had. But I can't ignore these feelings I have for you, and although you seem to have awful timing, you can't ignore yours either."

Zoe looked up into George's eyes. She was still, just speechless. "So you're not mad about Wade?"

George closed his eyes, as if it was a huge blow for her to even mention Wade's name. "I believe that people make mistakes Zoe. You've made a lot, but if you can honestly tell me that it's over with him, then I'll believe you." Zoe stifled a nervous laugh, not sure what George was looking for from her. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Zoe, do you have feelings for Wade?"

"Last night was a mistake. I'm over Wade."

"You're an awful liar," he told her. Zoe raised an eyebrow. "That's how I know you're telling the truth." He kissed her again, and for a moment, it felt as if all of the bad things that had happened in the past two years had gone away. They only had the good.

"Now, would you like to come in?" George asked.

"I would love to, but I've got to be up early tomorrow. Brick's going out of town again and was kind of enough to schedule a couple early morning appointments before he mentioned that. How does dinner tomorrow night sound?"

"It sounds great. How about I cook for you? Say around 7?"

"That sounds perfect," Zoe said before giving George a quick peck on the cheek and leaving to go home.

* * *

"I cannot believe you slept with Zoe. I can't deal with this," Lavon told Wade, sitting at the bar of the Rammer Jammer.

"You can't deal with this? Why is this any of your business? I can't deal with this. But I'm at work right now, so I don't think it's appropriate to be discussing this here," Wade said as he grabbed Lavon a beer.

"Cut the crap, Wade. That's never stopped you before," Lavon said as he rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. "And it's my business because I always end up hearing about it. When you two are good, I have to watch you make out in my kitchen. And when it's bad, I get stuck in the middle."

Wade started clearing off empty glasses from the bar. "I wasn't the owner of the bar then, so this conversation is now off limits."

"Wade, you're just avoiding the issue at hand. As much as I don't want to get involved, it seems to be impossible. Just tell me, what are you and Zoe doing?"

Wade couldn't help but grin. "I don't know. I really don't know, Lavon, but whatever it is, this may be the shot I need."

"No. No, no, no. You don't seriously think you and Zoe are getting back together, do you? That's a terrible idea."

Wade just smirked. "You never know. I just needed an in, well by _in_ I mean…." he said as he winked at Lavon.

"Ewww, gross. You know I don't want to hear that. You're right. This conversation is off limits. I'm sure I'll hear all about it from Zoe later anyways, whether I want to or not."

"I'm sorry Lavon, but you wanted to know."

"Do you actually think that this is going to work out? Do you not remember what happened the first time?"

Wade's eyes shot up to Lavon's from the bar he was wiping off. "Don't remind me. I know what I did to Zoe was wrong. If there was one thing in this world that I can undo, it would be cheating on her. But I would never do that again. Never."

"I'm sorry, Wade. I know you wouldn't. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"I'm ready for a relationship with Zoe again, and I'd really appreciate it if you could just pretend that you were a little more supportive."

Lavon had nothing nice left to say, so he looked down at the bar as he took another sip of his beer.

* * *

Thanks for reading, and as I said, if you'd like me to continue, be so kind as to let me know! :)


	2. Gonna Have to Try a Little Harder

"Wade, what are you doing?" Zoe asked as she walked up the stairs to the carriage house. He had his shirt off and tool belt on, hammering at her front door.

"I'm really sorry I forgot about fixing this creaky door for you. I just thought about it and thought that I'd come over right away to fix it for you," he replied.

"What are you doing?" she asked again.

Wade had a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, I just told you, Doc. Fixing your door. You didn't already forget, did you?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I mean what's going on? Why are you acting so weird? And why are you shirtless? When I asked you to do this for me, you told me to just spray a little WD-40 on it and it'd be fine."

"Did you actually buy a bottle and do it?"

"Not yet. But that's not the point."

"That's why I came over. I shouldn't have brushed you off like that. I've changed. I want to be a good friend, and if you ask for a favor, I want to help you out."

"Is this because you need to ask me a favor or what?"

Wade laughed. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't need any favors." Wade just kept beating at the door, moving it this way and that.

Zoe shook her head. "And there's the real Wade Kinsella I know."

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." He looked down at Zoe.

"Seriously, why are you doing this at eleven o'clock? I need to go to sleep. I have an appointment at six in the morning. Six! So get out of here!" She shooed at him, but he didn't budge.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Doc." Wade took a step back from the door and admired his work. He smoothly opened and shut the door, then opened it once more. "Here you are."

"You are acting so weird." She watched Wade as she walked through the door.

"A simple thank you would do just fine. Or maybe an invite in, a beer perhaps."

"You think I'm going to invite _you_ in? Think again. That ship has sailed. Last night was a fluke, and trust me, it is _not _happening again. Got it? You cheated on me, and that hurt."

"I get it. I made a mistake. When are you going to get over that and stop reminding me? I mean, we slept together last night."

Zoe grabbed the door from Wade, which he was still holding open. "Seriously? Your idea of trying to get back with me involves insulting the amount of time it's taken me to get over the fact you cheated. I made a mistake too. Sleeping with you. Good night." Zoe stormed off in a huff towards her room.

"Zoe…wait…" Wade called after her, but after a few second with no response, he was left trudging back to his own place for the night.

* * *

"Addy, what are you doing here?" Zoe asked as she walked through the waiting room of the practice the next morning. She was shocked, but she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the familiar face.

"I couldn't stay away from Bluebell." Addy smiled at Zoe as she grabbed out files for the day.

"But weren't you going back to school?"

"I was. I heard you guys needed a little help back here though. I figured if I was coming back to Bluebell to work here again after I finish school, what did I need that new degree for? I know everything I need to."

Zoe finally walked behind the counter and gave Addy a hug. "I'm so glad to see you. I don't exactly have a big group of girlfriends around here. "

"It's good to see you too, Zoe. I'll get the coffee brewing before our first patients show."

"How did you know I'd be here so early?"

"I called Dr. Breeland last night. He said he was out of town, but you'd be here bright and early. Thought I'd surprise you."

"Wasn't he kind to schedule them so early for me?" Zoe asked before she started looking over the files Addy had pulled.

"He sure was. You've still got a lot of pep in your step for being up before six in the morning, girl."

"Addy, I'll tell you all about it today. Not how about we get a little coffee brewing in here?"

* * *

"Where's Zoe this morning?" Lavon asked as he flipped a couple of pancakes onto an empty plate. "On second thought, I hope you don't know the answer to that question."

"Relax, Lavon," Wade said as he grabbed a plate of pancakes from Lavon's hand. "Nothing happened. She just had to be up early this morning to get to work." Annabeth walked in just in time to catch the end of the conversation.

"Nothing happened? With Zoe? " she asked as she walked around the counter to give Lavon a kiss on the cheek.

Wade sighed. "You told her?"

"I'm sorry, we don't keep secrets."

"Yes, with Zoe. Nothing happened last night with Zoe," Wade reluctantly told Annabeth.

"So fixing her door didn't work out for you?" Lavon asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"You saw that?"

"Of course I saw that. Fixing something shirtless, it's your one play. You really need some new moves. You also really need to let Zoe go. We talked about this, Wade."

"It's usually Zoe's one weakness. I just don't get why I didn't work. I was trying to show her I've changed."

"Are you even listening? Wade, this is a bad idea."

"I thought you were trying to stay out of it Lavon."

Lavon raised his hands up defensively, as if he was surrendering.

"You're right. Lavon Hayes was just giving a suggestion to help out his friends. He's probably right, but of course no one is going to listen to Lavon's advice."

"Honey, if you think fixing her door is going to get that girl to go out with you again, then you're never going to get her back," Annabeth told him. Lavon flashed her a look, and she knew exactly what he was telling her. "Not that I'm encouraging this. I'm just saying, that's not the proper way to win a girl over."

"Funny, I don't remember asking you," Wade said before stuffing his mouth with a big bite of pancakes. He couldn't hide the disappointment from his face. Annabeth turned her attention to her own food and the three sat in silence as they ate.

* * *

Thank you to those of you out there reading. I know it's short right now, but it takes me a little bit to get my stories off the ground. If you want more, let me know. I love reviews, and I'm even open to suggestions. You never know where my stories may end, so even if you're a Wade fan and you don't like where this is going or a George fan and you don't like it, stay tuned. You never know what could turn out. :)


	3. The Truth Comes Out

Lemon walked into the Rammer Jammer to see Wade already hard at work, wearing his regular plaid and a dishrag over his shoulder. "Didn't expect to see you in so early this morning," she said as she passed by on her way to the back. Wade finished clearing off the table he was standing at and followed her back. "Especially since you closed up last night."

"Just needed to get my mind off of something," he said as he unloaded the dirty dishes.

Lemon looked at Wade with her eyes slightly squinted, like she was trying to read him. "You needed to get your mind off something? I really hope by something, you don't mean Zoe Hart."

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"It's not important. What is important that you need to stop dwelling on the past. You can't let your personal life distract you from work." Lemon set down her purse and straightened her ponytail out.

"Oh, let it be, Lemon. It's not affecting my work."

"Well then why did I count three tables on my way back here that had yet to be wiped off?" She pointed to a few empty tables with crumbs on them. "We can't have customers sitting down to dirty tables, Wade."

"Relax, I was going back for them. And I'm not the only person working here right now."

"That may be true, but you also left early last night. I know you didn't actually close up," Lemon quipped as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.

"Are you following me now too? Wanda said she'd lock up for me, and she did. Everything went fine, and I had my phone on so if there were any issues they could call. We can trust our employees to do things like that for us. When we open for breakfast and close a bar, it's a little hard to be here all the time."

"That's not the point!" Lemon shouted. A few people sitting nearby snapped their heads in Lemon and Wade's direction as they emerged from the back. "Nothing to see here folks," she announced to their customers with a smile.

"See what you did?" Wade snapped back at her as he started wiping off one of the tables he had "missed."

"Wade, where did you go after you left the Rammer Jammer last night?"

"Lemon, I don't know if you're aware, but we're business partners. So the answer to that question is none of your business!"

"You went to see Zoe, didn't you?"

"Quit doing that, would you." He moved onto the next table, with Lemon still in tow right behind him. "Maybe I did. What's it matter to you?"

"If you say you're going to close up, I expect you to close up. Trying to get your ex-girlfriend back is not an acceptable reason for leaving early."

Wade had been furiously cleaning the tables, scrubbing and scrubbing, trying to get his mind off of the last night. He finally gave Lemon his full attention for a moment. "Lemon, stop. It's never going to be an issue again. Zoe completely rejected me. She wouldn't even let me come in last night. I was trying to do something nice and made a complete ass out of myself. Happy now?"

"So now you're going to act like this because you're upset she said no? Get it together Wade. We have a restaurant to manage. Maybe a little time off of girls could do you some good." She finally walked off to do business of her own as Wade stood there, visibly upset.

* * *

Zoe sat at her desk looking over some paperwork when Addy walked into her office. "Our afternoon seems to be pretty free. So now tell me, what's got Zoe Hart so happy? I've heard what happened with you and Wade. I'm so sorry about all of that."

"You hear about Wade?"

"I know I haven't been around much, but I still get all of town gossip. Sherriff Bill is still my husband, after all."

"That really sucked, but I'm over it now. And I'm onto George Tucker. It just happened last night, so if you could keep it quiet for a few days, I'd really appreciate it." Zoe went back to her paperwork, as if the conversation was over right there.

"Zoe, now I know you're probably going to say you don't want my advice, but are you sure about all this?"

"What do you mean, Addy? I've liked him since I got here. Things are finally working out for us." Addy shook her head as she sat down in the chair opposite of Zoe. "And don't give me that look!"

"I'm sorry, but like I said, I still get all of the town gossip. I know you're always acting with your best intentions, but do you really think rushing into a relationship like this is the best thing? Maybe you should take a little break for a while. Clear your mind."

"It's the only relationship I've really wanted since I got here though," Zoe whined.

"Then what was Wade? George was still single when you started dating Wade."

"You are well informed," Zoe said. She shut the file she was writing in and set her pen down, resting her arms on her desk. "I appreciate your concern, Addy, but this is what I really want."

Just then, Lavon knocked on Zoe's open door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything here, but Lavon Hayes is in need of a doctor." He held up his hand wrapped in a bloody towel. Zoe immediately rushed over to him.

"What happened?"

"I was just putting dishes away, dropped a glass on the counter and thought I had cleaned it all up. I was wrong."

"Go have a seat in the exam room, Lavon. I'll be there in just a minute." Lavon walked down the hall as Zoe turned to Addy. "Lavon's my best friend in this town. I know at least he'll be supportive." Then she turned back to follow him. She grabbed some gloves and slid them onto her hands as she walked in the room and walked over to Lavon to examine his hand.

"I was up so early this morning, I didn't even get the chance to tell you my good news," she told him as she unwrapped the towel from his hand.

Lavon was obviously confused Zoe had any good news to share. "Good news?"

"Yes, good news. Why are you acting so surprised? Zoe Hart is allowed to have good news every once in a while, isn't she?"

"Well I wouldn't exactly call rejecting Wade good news."

"Rejecting Wade? No, that's not what I'm talking about."

Lavon shook his head. "Oh no. I don't even want to know where this is headed."

"I said it's good news Lavon!" Zoe started cleaning out his cut. "I went to see George Tucker last night…"

Lavon quickly cut her off. "Oh no was right. Do not tell me you're already with George Tucker now."

Zoe looked like a guilty little kid who had went against her parents' wishes and was afraid to tell them otherwise, not making eye contact at first. She grabbed the supplies to stitch Lavon's hand up. He knew the truth whether she confirmed it or not. "I know that this may sound a little crazy, but I went over there to apologize to him last night and we decided that we were going to give things a try between the two of us."

"Did it ever occur to you that jumping around from relationship to relationship isn't healthy? You're the doctor. I thought you'd know."

Zoe started stitching Lavon up as she continued to talk. "George is the most loved man in this town. He was even the MOTY last year. This whole town loves him, and he's just what I need."

"Maybe that's true, but did you ever think to give it a little bit of time."

"No!" Zoe said, her voice rose far above what it usually was. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. But I have given it time."

"Yes you did, and then you were both in relationships. Relationships that have recently ended. I'm really trying not to get involved here, but if I'm going to have to continue hearing about every new and dramatic chapter of the Zoe Hart Love Story, it's going to be hard not for me to give my opinion. If you really wanted to cut this drama out like you say you do, you'd listen."

"I'm sorry you're tired of hearing me share, but I'm not getting into this drama on purpose. And you don't have to hear about it anymore. You will no longer have to hear about my life at all. We'll just make small talk in the mornings while we eat breakfast, and that'll be that." Zoe finished stitching up Lavon's hand in silence.

"Zoe, it's not that I don't want you to tell me what's happening in your life," he told her as he stood up from the table.

Zoe shook her head. "Doesn't matter. You don't want to hear, and that's fine. I'm done telling you Lavon." Every conversation he'd recently had seemed to end with someone upset. He opened his mouth to say more, but then stopped and left, deciding to give Zoe a little time to cool off.

* * *

"Hey," George greeted Lemon as he walked into the Rammer Jammer. "Lemon, can we talk?"

"I'm a little busy right now, if you hadn't noticed." It was obvious she wasn't in a good mood, even to those that didn't know Lemon at all.

"Look, it's kind of important. If you're busy I can sit and wait until you get a free minute."

Lemon realized it was unavoidable, so she turned to George. "What is so important that you're interrupting me while I'm working?"

"Why don't you sit down, Lemon," he said as he pulled out a chair for her.

Lemon rolled her eyes. "Look, George, if this is going to take a while, I really don't have the time. We've been very busy here lately if you haven't seen or heard."

"I know, I know. But I have something to tell you, and I wanted you to hear it from me." Lemon finally sat in the chair George had pulled out and he took the chair opposite of her. They sat there in silence for a moment while George stared down at the table, not prepared for what he had come to say.

"So?" Lemon asked.

"Lemon, I just wanted you to hear this from me first. Last night, I was talking to Zoe, and we decided that we're going to give it a shot."

"You decided to distract me from my work to tell me that? I get it George. You're dating now. You told me when you started dating, and I appreciated it. But now you just seem to be throwing it in my face."

"You know that's not why I'm doing this. I don't want it to be weird in town, if you see the two of us. I thought I owed it to you to tell you in person before everyone else found out about Zoe and I."

Lemon stood up from the table, blaming her anger on the fact that she was distracted from work and the fact that he came to tell her he got a new girlfriend, ignoring the fact that it was Zoe Hart. "Well thank you, George, for reminding me how great your love life is and how much mine sucks. You win! You can stop telling me about every time you get a new girlfriend from now on though." She walked off in a huff. George felt bad, but it was something he had to do.

Lemon marched right up to Wade.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Well I now know why Zoe said no to you." Wade's signature smile dropped right off of his face. He knew what was coming since he'd seen who she last interacted with. "Last night, she and George Tucker made it official." Wade had no response, but the anger he'd felt at himself was now aimed at George Tucker. He just watched as George left the Rammer Jammer.

* * *

I know it's getting repetitive, but thanks again for reading! I do enjoy writing this stuff, but it's nice to know that others actually enjoy reading. Again, I'm always up for readers' suggestions and to discuss the show. :)


	4. Drunk & Stupid

Zoe was back to working on paper work in her office until another visitor popped in. "Hey, I hope you're not too busy," George Tucker said as he walked through her office door. Zoe's face immediately broke into a smile and she got up to wrap him in a hug.

"I'm never too busy for you," she said, planting a kiss on his lips. "Brick had the morning packed with appointments, so ever since lunch, it's been pretty dead in here. Why'd you decide to stop by? Couldn't wait a few more hours to see me?" she joked.

George smiled, but then slowly got a little more serious. "Zoe, look, I love you, but do you think we're ready to go out in front of the town as a couple yet?"

Zoe tried to read George's face, but it wasn't getting her anywhere. "I don't know. I don't think it really matters at this point. I'm coming over to your boat for dinner tonight. No one will see us, and no one is going to find out until we're ready," she stated, but George just looked at her, knowing she was a blabber mouth with almost any piece of information, even about herself. "Well except for the two people I told. But don't worry; they're not going to tell anyone. Addy wanted to know why I was in such a good mood. And I tell Lavon everything, but I don't think he'll be telling anyone. He's big on 'staying out of everyone's business'," Zoe said. "Although they both felt the need to voice their lack of support."

"This is why I thought it might be a good idea to wait. We probably aren't going to gain a lot of immediate support. But there's a small chance we may be too late," George said. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about the mistake he had made. "I may have told someone that might let the cat out of the bag."

Zoe cocked her head to the side. "So you came in here to tell me to keep our relationship a secret, then tell me you're already ousted us? You're making a lot of sense George. Who did you tell?" The look on his face said it all. He looked nervous. "You told Lemon! Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry, but we were together for fifteen years. And I thought when she found out that I was dating the girl I left her for, she might want to hear it straight from the source. But after seeing how well that went, I don't think I'm going to try it with Tansy, which is another reason I'd like to keep it quiet for a little bit. We did just break up, also over you."

"Oh," Zoe said. She looked down at her desk. "So this isn't about the town then."

George paced back and forth. "I want this, Zoe, I do. But out of the people we've told so far, no one is very supportive, and I don't want to hurt Tansy. We just broke up, and she's only a town away from us now. I don't want to be parading around throwing this in her, or Lemon's face. Maybe we just ignore the rumors for a little while."

"This story is probably already on its way to Dash's blog, if it's not there already. How are we supposed to ignore that?"

"Not be seen in town together, I guess. And just keep denying it. Isn't this going to protect someone that maybe you once cared for too?"

Zoe sat there silent for a moment, knowing exactly who he was talking about. "Fine, we'll lay low for a week or two."

"Thanks, Zoe. See you at seven?"

"Sorry, but I think laying low would be me not coming over tonight and drawing any more attention to the two of us being together, don't you think?" she asked. She was having a hard time keeping her voice in check because she was getting more upset by the second.

"Zoe, that's not what I meant."

"If you want to lay low, we should do it right. This is a very small town, after all. The chances of someone coming by and seeing us together are pretty high."

George sighed. "I'll call you tonight."

* * *

"Lavon, do you still think George has feeling for Tansy?" Zoe asked as she walked in the backdoor to the kitchen.

"Good to hear you're already sharing details of your personal life with me again, but I'm not giving anymore advice on the topic."

"I'm serious. No one really knows about the two of us yet. You're the only person I have to ask."

Lavon shook his head as he continued looking for something in his cupboards. "You know who you should be asking this question? George." He pulled out the pan he'd been looking for. "Aha!"

"George wants to keep our relationship a secret. He kept changing his reasoning."

"What? That doesn't sound like George. That boy wanted to come out to the whole town with you the day after he called off his wedding."

"I know. That's why I'm so confused," she said while grabbing herself a glass of water. "Or why I was confused. Then he mentioned not wanting to hurt Tansy."

"Lavon Hayes is not getting involved, but if he was, he might say that George may have some feelings left. You can't be surprised. Tansy left two days ago, Zoe. What did you expect?"

"He wanted to date me the day he left Lemon at the altar! You just said it yourself," she argued.

"Then why didn't you two start dating then?" Lavon started pulling ingredients from out of his cupboards and filling the pan with water.

"Because he had…okay I get it Lavon. We've rushed into things."

"It's not that I won't be supportive one day, I'm just not today."

"You're not going to tell anyone about George and I, are you?" she asked.

"Not getting involved means that I've heard none of this."

Zoe smiled. "Thanks Lavon."

"Thanks for what?" he asked, acting like he was legitimately confused until he smiled and winked at Zoe.

"Exactly. I'll leave you to your date night now," she told him as she exited out the back door.

* * *

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Lemon told Annabeth while bursting through her front door. She headed straight for the couch, Annabeth furiously checking her watch. "Do you have somewhere to be? Because this is much more important.

"I'm sorry, Lemon. I wasn't expecting a visitor. I was on my way out to see Lavon before you showed up and I really don't want to be late."

"I think he can handle you being a few minutes last. This is a crisis, AB!"

"You're right. I can be," she glanced down at her watch again," a few minutes late. What is this crisis?"

"George Tucker and Zoe Hart are dating!"

"What?" Annabeth was genuinely surprised. "When did this happen?"

"Last night I guess. George told me that he wanted to hear it from him. Do you know how much of an embarrassment this will be to me?"

"An embarrassment? Lemon, you two did break up a year ago, honey. And you've both dated since then."

Lemon grabbed Annabeth's hands. "This is different. This is Zoe Hart, the girl George left me at the altar for. She's my arch nemesis."

"_Technically_ he didn't leave you at the altar, and I think you're being slightly overly dramatic about the whole thing," Annabeth told her. Lemon shot Annabeth a cold look in response. "Okay, not helping."

"Can you just help me dispel these rumors for now?"

"You think that's going to work? What about when everyone sees Zoe and George out in public? They won't be any rumors anymore. "

"I don't know, Annabeth."

"I hope you're not planning one of your crazy schemes." Lemon couldn't hide the look from her face. "Oh no! I am not helping with whatever you're cooking up."

"I am over George. I am, but Zoe Hart?"

"We are dropping this. I'm not going to tell anyone about the two of them. It's not my news to tell, but you need to stop whatever it is you're thinking of. George deserves to be happy, just like you do, and if he's happy with Zoe, then let's let them be." Annabeth stood up from the couch and motioned towards the door. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a date to get to."

* * *

Zoe opened up the front door to her carriage house and walked in to be surprised by none other than Wade Kinsella sitting on her couch, a beer bottle in hand.

"Hey, doc," he told her, barely fit enough to hold himself in an upright sitting position.

"What are you doing here, Wade?" she asked.

"I'm here for you. I want you back," he told her, his speech slurring.

Zoe sighed, but walked over to Wade. "This is the last thing I wanted to be dealing with tonight," she said under her breath as she grabbed the beer bottle from Wade's hand. "How many of these have you had?" she asked, setting it down on her coffee table.

"This many," Wade told her as he held up his fingers, but they were constantly moving to make different numbers. He was past the point of knowing.

"Why?" she asked herself, not expecting to get a response. She sat down on the couch next to him and helped lay him down onto her couch.

Wade's eyelids slowly started closing. "Because I love you, Doc, and I don't want you with George Tucker."

"What?" Zoe asked. She started panicking. There's no knowing who Wade told if he had been in this state all night. "How did you know that?"

"Lemon told me," he said, his eyes completely shut and his hands resting on his stomach.

"What's going on here?" George asked as he came through the door.

"Just because you're my boyfriend now doesn't mean you have the right to just walk in," Zoe told him. "And if you're asking about why Wade is here, he was sitting on my couch waiting for me when I got back a few minutes ago. Nothing is going on."

"I felt bad about earlier today, so I came over to apologize. I didn't realize that you'd already be in the arms of your ex-boyfriend already." George just shook her head. He turned to leave, but then turned back around. "Actually, this is exactly what I expected from you, Zoe."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoe stood up from the couch. She was trying to stay quiet, a sleeping Wade lying within a couple of feet of her, but the anger in her voice was obvious.

George took a step closer. "It means that this is what you do, Zoe. You're obviously not over Wade. Every time things have gotten rocky between us, you've gone to Wade."

"Every time things have gotten rocky? I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about. Your wedding night or the time your girlfriend yelled at me in front of a room full of teenagers at a high school dance?"

"That's not fair."

"It's not? You know what I think isn't fair, asking me to keep quiet about our relationship. Which is working really well, by the way," she said, pointing down to the drunk passed out on her couch. "That's why he's here. He found out about the two of us, got drunk, and showed up while I was gone."

George's eyes got big, surprised. He sat down in the nearby chair and put his hands in his face, then looked up at Zoe. "I am so sorry, Zoe. It's been a day. I'm messing things up before we even get the chance to start."

Zoe walked over to him and sat on his lap. "You're not messing anything up. It's this town."

"You're blaming it on the town?"

"George, it's a small town. I've been here for two years and I know everyone by name. We both have exes here, and communication with them is unavoidable. It's a little hard to escape the gossip and the drama here." Zoe paused, reflecting back on all of her drama lately. "We all know I can't escape the drama."

"It may not be ideal when everyone starts finding out about us, but all of the talk will go away after a while. They're all going to see how great we are together," George reassured her as he rubbed her back.

Zoe nodded and finally let a smile spread across her face. "You're right. Now if you want to help me get Wade back to his place, I'll let you stay for a while."

"Deal."

* * *

"Last night…was…wow," George said as he lay with Zoe's head resting on his chest. He lightly brushed her hair out of her face. "Thank you for letting me stay over. I really am sorry about what happened. You know, before the mind blowing sex," he said, laughing.

"I wish we didn't have to go to work," Zoe said as she slowly sat up in bed, giving George a kiss as she did so.

"We don't. Let's call in sick," he said as he pulled her down for another kiss. Zoe couldn't resist, but eventually the two parted.

"George, I'm a doctor. I treat sick people. I can't pretend to be sick."

"Fine, but can't you stay in bed a little longer?" George begged.

Zoe got up from her bed and walked towards the bathroom, then turning around in the doorway. "No, but we do both have to shower this morning. It's a little quicker if we just do it together." George grinned as he popped out of bed and followed her into the bathroom.

* * *

Wade walked into the mayor's house for breakfast, scratching his head in deep thought of what had happened the previous night. "You wouldn't happen to know how I got home last night, would you?" he asked Lavon, who was pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

"What did you do last night?" Lavon asked, knowing some sort of dumb answer was about to follow.

"I don't know. I drank too much after work, and somehow woke up in my own bed this morning. Everything in the middle is a blur," he told Lavon. His face dropped when some of the details started coming back. "Shit," he said under his breath.

"That's all you remember?" Lavon prodded.

Wade shook his head. "Maybe it was a dream."

"Maybe what was a dream?" Lavon asked.

Just then, Zoe walked in the back door wearing nude heels, a black skirt, and a sparkly blue top, her hair down in its usual waves. "Good morning, Lavon," she said, ignoring Wade completely. "How'd you sleep?" She grabbed the box of cereal and poured herself a bowl.

"Uh…good. What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Well certainly not the fact that Wade showed up at the carriage house drunk last night, claiming he was going to win me back." She poured milk over her cereal, still acting as if Wade wasn't in the room.

"Zoe, I'm sorry about that. I had too much to drink, and I don't even remember everything that happened last night."

"Did you hear something, Lavon?" Zoe was completely avoiding even looking Wade's direction as she dug into her cereal.

"Very mature, Zoe. I said I was sorry." Zoe kept eating in silence. "C'mon. You plan on ignoring me forever? Well good luck with that."

They all knew Zoe would give in and talk to Wade, sooner rather than later, but maybe not this soon. "Stop. I don't want your apology. I want you to promise me that'll never happen again. We're over Wade. We have been since you cheated on me. I don't want George worrying about our past, Wade."

"I'd be worried if I were him. Didn't seem to me like it was over a couple nights ago, he knows better than anyone."

"That was a mistake, and I'd really appreciate it if you would quit bringing it up. We both know I'm with George Tucker now, that's how things are supposed to be."

"How things are supposed to be? C'mon, Doc. You can't base your life decisions on how you think your life has been planned out for you."

"I can and I will," she replied. She dumped the rest of her cereal out. "Suddenly, I've lost my appetite." And with that, Zoe stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

"No, no, no!" Lavon repeated.

"Would you knock it off with all of your no's? I know that Zoe and I are over. I got drunk and did something stupid. That's what I always do."

Lavon took a deep breath. "I am trying so hard to stay out of this, but you people really need some help."

* * *

Just so you all know, I do love Wade, I'm just exploring a few different ideas. I even took to watching a few Zoe/Wade videos on YouTube for a little inspiration. Keep the reviews coming! :)


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